I just read "Dark Summit," by Nick Heil, an attempt to capture what happened in the 2006 climbing Everest season when about 11 people died,a couple of them distressed alpinists allegedly ignored by ascending climbers. I read all of the Everest chronicles I find. There is something fascinating about these stories. They are like watching a train wreck in slow motion. You know what is going to happen and so does everyone involved but they seem incapable of doing anything about it. A major controversy in this case is whether people did enough to save David Sharp a British climber who froze to death near 28,000 feet on the Northeast ridge. This guy was of the macho, independent school who believed it important to take on the mountain alone. He purchased a cut rate package that got him to advanced base camp after which he was on his own summiting the peak. He set out slowly and too late, without oxygen and didn't make it down. After spending a night exposed on the ridge he was seen by climbers ascending the next day almost comatose, unable to move and so frozen his limbs couldn't be straightened out. They, and about 40 others left him to die, which he promptly did. For those of you who haven't read these stories, understand that no climber who can't help with his own rescue has ever been brought down from the heights this guy was at. I'm not sure what the controversy is. A second guy who died that season sounds like a complete idiot as does his guide and the outfit that let him sign on. Think about this for a second. You are an Everest outfitter and some nutty German tells you he wants to sign on. He mentions as an aside that he had a brain tumor removed a few years back and now his eyesight starts to fail in low pressure. He figures he may be blind at the summit but what the heck, he still wants to give it a go. So, sign the nut job up, enroll to be his guide? Heck yes, sounds like a hoot,doesn't it. Well, he was right. He went blind and is still up there. If you find stuff like this vaguely fascinating, "Dark Summit" is a good read. Of course, if you haven't read, "Into thin Air," rush out get that one first.